Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-12-24
POVERTY OF PARIS.
soMBER SIDE OF LIFE IN THE
FRENCH CAPITAL.
A consus of the Existont Indigoncy-one
Hundred and Forty Thousand People
Enrolled for Public Charity-List of
I,nn,nr. az Eorni.r,, Nth

namc Paris with geyety ind pleesuref VINO
has not conceived Puris q vast haven where
tho cares Of earth arc cast aside, where mis-
cry end misfortune arc unknown, where
human enjoyment has reached its climax,
ard where fountains Of puro silver have
an unceasing How2 Tho casual tourist
finds 10 contradiction in this roseate ideal,
for Paris in itself is world whose varie-
gated social strata present separate studies
which could be proiitably pursuedfor life.
time. Tic French have tho happy faculty
of presenting. the bright side Of everything,
while tLeirp rbials go God manners add an
additional iuster which is well calculated to
satisfy tho ordinary mind -
But Paris without riches and poverty, vice
and virtue, happiness and misery, would, in
deed, DO a strange anomaly Of human asso-
citation 1t is truo VIC get a CLEAN of certain
phases Of Partisan life from tho "Confession
of Claud, ""L Assomoirn CT Camille" yet
it is hard to believe that such degree Of de
pravity has q secure footing in the French
capital The facts havo not been ovcrdrawn,
however, the only dispute being tao extent
to which vice las obtained.
THE CENSUS OF IXDIGENcY.
AS to the existent indigcncy moro rational
data can DO obtained. Every three years
census is taken Of the population enrolled at
the beneficencc Offices OF the twenty districts
into which Paris is divided. The object Of
tho census is twofold. First, by it arc OBJ
tanned tho names of I'LL persons who are en-
titled to public aid; second, q cioso study is
made OF their true situation with view to
rendering as many as possible self sustaining.
lima TO +ba fn,. fl1ara
were enrolled for public charity 81 ,eS1 heads
Of families representing 1903 persons. Tho
board OF visitors have eliminated 1000 heads
of families, representing 1900, leaving regis
tered at present AZ GIT leads of families or
123,524 persons. Comparing this result with
that OF 1850 we find tho number of heads of
families has increased by S12, while the in
dividuals comprised havo diminished by All.
Each dependent domestic group is therefore
relatively less humorous, while the individual
applicants havo scnsibly increased. In 1880
Paris had 1,99S,C0G inhabitants and 1887
.ndigcnts, or G22 per cent. To-day the popu-
lation is 2,2G9, 900, OF which $40 per cent. are
dependent on public charity.
In all the districts the number Of assisted
women is far greater than that of the men,
For every "a males enrolled there are Al fe-
males This is easily explained on the
grounds that the labor Of women is less re-
munerativc, and they have less repugDanco
in recurring to the public charities.
PAUPERs OF FOREIGN BIRTH.
The native Parisians are By no means the
majority of those whose names arc Oil the
dependent rolls. For every 1000, Paris end
its Department Of the Seine furnishes 227;
the provinces, 705; foreign, CT. Taking 900
naines Of those of foreign birth, the Germans
lead with 40T; Belgians, $780, Dutch, LIZ;
Italians, So; English, 10; Spaniards, 8:
Americans and Turks, O. twill be observed
that Germany furnishes by far the larger
number.of Pnrsian paupers Of foreign birth.
This .nriiAlain0d- by tbe fact that the Ger
mans arc tho most rni5ratorySof al people,
Z and in search of the ''daily bread" have in
vaded the world.
In general tho German emigrant is a nsOdel
of industry, economy and Of irreproachablc
customs, and putting in practice the French
proverb that there are no senseless occupa-
tions, there are ONLY senseless people" have
undertaken almost every departments Of labor
and trade Tho Frenchnan who enjoys in
his own country an easily won livelihood
and an excellent climate seldom crosses tho
frontier, while the German, whose condi-
tions arc less favorable, is found widely
scattered.
Tho Judgment of the army Of paupcrs in
Paris forms cn interesting study. More than
fourth part live almost gratuitously, con-
fined in grots, c;lverns and cellars; one half
pay from 1C0 TO 1000 francs rent perannum.
Sixty-one per cent of these holes or novels
:. a..
four and even five apartments The inhabit-
ants of these rooms belong to all professions,
comprising thousands of the fruits secs of art
in. ell its manifestations and forms. San
Francisco Chronicle.